Jacob Hales has always dreamed of becoming a park ranger.
Hales, a 23-year-old from Annapolis, is entering his second year as a member of the Maryland Corps. As part of the program, Hales will be able to build a career with the park service by training in the field. Hales said the bonds he formed with service year option members have kept him going.
“Although it’s a hard job — it is laborious — I haven’t had a day of work where I wasn’t smiling,” he told The Diamondback. “That’s really important to me. I have fun every day.”
Hales was among hundreds who attended the induction of the new class of the Maryland Corps at Xfinity Center on Thursday. The induction celebrated members who are entering their first year of service as part of the corps program.
The program’s members will dedicate nine months of service to the state, according to the department. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore formed the program, operated through the Department of Service and Civic Innovation, in 2023 to create an option for Maryland high school graduates to serve their community.
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Moore said this class is the largest so far, with 850 participating members and at least one representative from each county in the state. The program gathered more than 3,500 interested participants, a record-high number, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
Members are expected to both work and volunteer for the state to earn a completion award of $6,000. Nearly 600 members of the new class attended Thursday’s event, listening carefully as state members and alumni shared their stories.
“I hope that each of you right now feels a sense of fulfillment, a sense of joy, a sense of passion, a sense of purpose,” university president Darryll Pines told the crowd. “This world needs your dedication.”
During his speech to the third member class, Moore applauded the corps for voluntarily putting their time and lives into the state for nine straight months.
“[You are] the ones who look at a society that is broken and say, ‘let me heal it. Let me be part of the solution’,” Moore said.
The program allows members to match into a field they want to pursue while simultaneously serving the state. Members may venture into fields, including climate, public health and education.
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The Service and Civic Innovation department this year implemented two new service tracks for members. In one of the new tracks, the Benefits Navigator Corps, members will help areas with higher levels of poverty.
Moore said the benefits team will ensure “all Marylanders can connect to the services that they need and deserve, no matter where they call home.” The program will help residents easily access resources, such as Medicaid and SNAP.
Member Cole Simon joined the corps to “be able to serve and represent the state of Maryland in a positive and impactful way,” he told The Diamondback.
The 24-year-old from Baltimore City said his interest in the program came from the discussions about financial and civic literacy that the program promotes. Simon is working to become a cardiologist with a goal of working with patients by the end of the year.
“I want to grow and develop in every way, shape and form,” Simon said. “There’s support here for you that you may not find at another institution.”
